Residents, students and educators urge Howard County Council to restore $29.3 million to FY26 school budget

Dozens of students, teachers, parents, union leaders and school officials testified at a Howard County Council public hearing that the county should restore at least $29.3 million to the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) FY2026 operating budget to avoid cuts to programs, staff and services.

Saisha Diaz, an eighth‑grader at Folly Quarter Middle School, asked the council not to “put our school system or any elements of it on the chopping block” and urged funding to preserve programs such as college‑and‑career readiness, gifted and talented, athletics and arts. River Hill High junior Henry Yarmus told the council: “If the proposed budget goes through, the situation will become even worse,” saying class sizes, program cuts and lost teachers would harm students’ outcomes.

Why it matters: HCPSS officials say a $29.3 million gap exists between new recurring revenue and costs to maintain existing services; restoring that amount would prevent immediate cuts school leaders say would otherwise be considered. School officials and advocates said deeper restoration (they cited up to roughly $54 million more) would be required to fund additional priorities such as special education, athletic trainers, safety staffing and competitive compensation.

School leaders' case

Howard County Public School System Superintendent Bill Barnes said the district must “work to close a nearly $30,000,000 funding gap” to meet existing commitments, including inflation, insurance and mandated state costs tied to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Brian Hall, HCPSS chief financial officer, reiterated the $29.3 million figure and warned that “anything short of this will result in cuts to existing services,” listing possible outcomes such as class‑size increases, program reductions and staff losses.

Board of Education Chair Jolene Mosley and Vice Chair Lingfeng Chen urged the council to restore as much of the BOE’s requested funding as fiscally possible. Mosley said the board “has clearly identified the needs and priorities” in its request and that insufficient funding would force difficult decisions that “could impact special education, school safety, athletic trainers, and other critical services.”

Teachers, unions and advocates

Benjamin Schmidt, president of the Howard County Education Association (HCEA), characterized the budget shortfall as “the exact same situation we did last year,” saying the board faces a $27.7 million shortfall to “keep the lights on” and describing possible consequences including layoffs, program cuts and pay freezes. Several classroom teachers and school staff described lost sections, larger classes and increasing workloads; a high‑school teacher said her department lost 2.5 positions and the school lost 15 teachers overall despite enrollment holding steady.

Special education and reading supports

Multiple speakers pressed the council about special education staffing and reading instruction. Testimony cited 114 special education vacancies and cited year‑over‑year increases in students requiring special services. Erin Parker and others urged investment in the science of reading, additional speech‑language pathologists, literacy coaches and non‑teaching case managers to reduce overload on special educators and reduce expensive non‑public placements.

Safety, portables and school operations

Parents and PTA leaders cited overcrowding and safety concerns tied to the county’s 238 portable classrooms, arguing that unmonitored side and back doors increase security risk. Dunloggin Middle School PTA president Karen Biederman asked the council to fund security assistants and reconsider assistant principal allocations; she told the council portables cause thousands of ‘‘back door’’ openings countywide each day and argued a second assistant principal was needed at several Ellicott City middle schools.

Numbers and county responses

Speakers and school officials gave multiple budget figures: HCPSS officials said the district’s operating request exceeded the County Executive’s proposal by roughly $54 million for broader priorities and that $29.3 million is the immediate gap to maintain existing services. Testimony noted County Executive Calvin Ball’s proposed budget included approximately $47 million in new revenue for HCPSS, including $39.3 million above the maintenance‑of‑effort (MOE) baseline; advocates urged the council to use additional available investment income and other one‑time funds to close the gap.

Process and next steps

Council members and HCPSS officials agreed to continued negotiations. Superintendent Barnes and council members scheduled a council work session to discuss scenarios and supplemental transfers. Barnes said he would provide further detail on specific cost categories — for example safety and compensation figures — at upcoming meetings. Several public speakers urged the council to prioritize recurring operating dollars rather than diverting recurring surpluses into one‑time PAYGO capital projects.

Ending

Speakers closed by saying restoring recurring operating funds is an investment in the county’s future workforce and economy. The council’s next budget work sessions were set for early May; council members said they would review revenue projections, investment income and possible funding adjustments before finalizing the FY2026 operating budget.